Wednesday, June 8, 2011

GreeNoodle--Healthier Instant Ramen

Looking for a healthier alternative to instant ramen?

I understand.

I grew up eating instant ramen, but now that I'm older and have become more concerned with all the salt and fat that's in the usual packages of instant ramen, I've been looking for an alternative to take its place.

At any of the Japanese grocery stores in my area, or the other Asian markets, you can find fresh ramen noodles in the deli section, and they are certainly a good alternative to the dried, fried, instant noodle packages, but they're not exactly what I call fast.

Okay, they're pretty fast.

And if you kept them in the freezer, that would keep them handy because fresh noodles don't keep that long.

But I want to cook it in one pot--this meal is when I'm too tired to cook, and too tired to go out.

The seasoning packets in the fresh noodles are loaded with salt and msg, just like the instant ones.

I'm kind of looking for something in-between, and healthier.

This is good!

This is what I've come up with--instant ramen-type noodles with powdered dashi broth and lots of vegetables.

I saw these noodles at Nijiya Market the other day, and decided to give them a try--the package without the soup mix included.

They also make it with different flavored soups.

Notice the 6g of dietary fiber.

Healthier right there.

If you're interested in comparisons, you can find them easily when you google any brand's nutrition facts.

This is the soup base, dashi, that I've been using.

No salt or msg added.

Since it's made from kelp, it's going to have some salt, but the first ingredient is not salt like most other dashi.

At least then you can control the amount of salt added.

This company makes a bonito flavored one that's good too.

For 2 servings, dissolve one packet of dashi into 3 cups of water over medium heat.

Gather an assortment of vegetables, whatever you have on hand.

The idea here is to use what you have.

Frozen mixed vegetables work, too.

I always add the onions first.

If you prefer them a little crunchy, add the onions with the other vegetables.

This is what the green noodles look like.

One block is one serving.

Drop them in the boiling water.

When the water boils again, loosen up the noodles with ohashi (chopsticks) or a fork.

Then add the vegetables.

We like it with a beaten egg, like egg drop soup.

Mix up the egg.

You're going to add it when the soup boils.

I like it a little spicy, so I add a pinch of chili flakes.

The heat seems to satisfy part of the flavor quotient so I need less salt--a pinch of salt usually does the trick.

Salt should add flavor, not BE the flavor.

I read that in the newspaper the other day.

Drop the beaten egg in the pot when the water is boiling.

Stir gently.

Add more water if you like it with more broth.

Taste and adjust flavors.

Or make it simpler, with a few veggies on top, without the egg.

This is what we eat--sometimes with udon noodles instead--when there's nothing to eat and we don't want to go out.